Sherlock’s Season Finale Was Leaked Online

If there's one thing that fans of Sherlock love, it's a real mystery. After all, following Holmes and Watson as they crack a case is an iconic narrative that dates all the way back to the days of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, it now seems that one of Sherlock's biggest mysteries is currently taking place in real life. In fact, the SherlockSeason 4 finale suspiciously leaked online 24 hours before its slated premiere on PBS and BBC, and the series subsequently made a plea with fans to try and keep the spoiler-filled finale from going viral. Check out the tweet below to see for yourself.

We are aware that #Sherlock episode 3 has been uploaded illegally online. If you come across it, please do not share it. #KeepMeSpoilerFree

The official SherlockTwitter account issued that statement on Saturday in an attempt to curb the possible spread of the leaked finale online. The comments and replies to the tweet range from wholly supportive, to anger over the leak, as well as quite a few responses in Russian -- but we will get to that later. At this point, it remains difficult to tell how useful the tweet was with regards to slowing the spread of the finale, but it's clear that the folks at BBC are not taking this incident lightly.

Sherlock producer Sue Vertue similarly took to Twitter in an effort to plead with fans not to share any possible spoilers, as well as to indicate that the leak may have been a result of a Russian hack. She tweeted:

Russian version of #Sherlock TFP has been illegally uploaded.Please don't share it. You've done so well keeping it spoiler free.Nearly there

As of right now, plenty of other fingers point to Russian hackers as the source of the leak as well. In addition to the fact that the leaked version of the finale was dubbed in Russian, it also included an announcement indicating that the broadcast originated from Channel One -- a state-owned Russian broadcaster. Although nothing has been confirmed at this point, some have suggested the possibility that this leak may represent a Russian retaliation against BBC's recent decision to expand its Russian broadcasts.

Of course, it's not hard to imagine why Sherlock would do everything in its power to prevent people from watching the finale illegally. The most recent season premiere of Sherlock garnered phenomenal ratings when it debuted earlier this month, and all eyes were on the finale to bring in similar numbers. This contemporary adaptation of Sherlock Holmes has become one of the most widely beloved and popular series ever to air on BBC or PBS, and it behooved the networks to try and make sure that as many fans as possible tuned in for the (possibly final) episode.

CinemaBlend will keep you up to date with more details related to this situation as new information becomes available to us. For now, make sure to check out our comprehensive midseason premiere guide for more information concerning all of the most highly anticipated spring TV debuts!